


Hogwarts' Dangers

by insertcleveracejoke



Series: Hogwarts' Hallways [4]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, Harry bonds with Slytherin and Gryffindor, Helga is somewhere doing something, bc why not, if someone tries to ship the Founders with Harry I will personally hunt you
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-18
Updated: 2018-11-18
Packaged: 2019-08-25 04:27:08
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,244
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16654249
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/insertcleveracejoke/pseuds/insertcleveracejoke
Summary: "Why'd you put a giant snake in a school, though?""Think of what she could do if a crowd tried to break in.""Oh.""Yes. A last stand for them, surely." Slytherin looked at the carved serpent. "Would you like to go visit her with me? She's a little single-minded, but serpents usually are.""Reminds me of something", the boy mumbled. Salazar covered his own mouth with a hand, smiling. "But yeah, sure. Why not."





	Hogwarts' Dangers

Slytherin slipped into the mostly abandoned bathroom as silently as if he were a ghost. It hadn't been abandoned when he put the entry there, he mused, but then maybe it was a good thing. Probably not, though. If it weren't empty most of the time, maybe someone would have noticed the basilisk.

The weeping that came from one of the corners reminded him that, fifty years ago, someone had.

"Sir?", a voice said behind him. Slytherin didn't startle.

"Mister Potter", he said as he turned around. He could see why Helga was so worried- the boy seemed to wear his uniform as if it were made out of black bed sheets. Wide green eyes stared at him from a face with cheeks that were still a little hollowed out after a few months of classes. And when Salazar used the boy's last name, he flinched. That was... Worrying, at the very least.

Slytherin was still getting a grasp on everything that had happened and this strange language he had seen change over the years, but this was something he'd never forget: The look of a child that fears adults. It shouldn't still happen a thousand of years later, and yet.

The child looked at the little carved serpent before staring at Salazar.

"I didn't kill her", he said.

"I know. Thank you."

"I think Ron would want me to. But she was confused. And she didn't hurt me."

"She wouldn't. Not normally, at least."

Salazar felt the startlingly green eyes analyse him and let them. He had tolerated stares from kings and popes back then, and not one of them had been nearly as thorough as a child's could be. Potter seemed to have reached a conclusion, for his thin shoulders relaxed a little and his hand stopped hovering over the pocket of his wand, which Salazar hadn't noticed the child had been doing until he stopped. He suspected maybe the boy didn't know either. It was a typical reaction.

"They told me there's not even one dark wizard that hasn't been in Slytherin."

"They lied", Salazar said. The child frowned and opened his mouth. "Maybe they didn't mean to. Maybe they didn't believe they were lying. But many dark wizards over the years came from the other Houses, and many of mine grew to be good."

"I know a boy from your house. He's a Malfoy. He said he wished Hermione died."

Salazar bowed his head sadly. "I fear this is a case of a parent's bigotry influencing the child, if I remember his father correctly."

"Bigotry? But you..."

"I didn't want muggles studying in my school? Yes. It would be dangerous for them and for us. We were hunted like animals at the time, child." Salazar made note of the way Potter's fists clenched when being called that. "A muggle that went to study here would have to let their family behind. I'm afraid that, many times, there wasn't a family for them to come back after the other muggles suspected anything. Many of them tried to betray us for safety."

"But they-"

"That was before", Salazar said gently. The boy looked up at him with shock. "There's no risk now, except from people like Voldemort. And so I agree that in this time and age, muggleborns have the right to learn. They are, after all, just as talented as us."

"My friend Hermione is a muggleborn and she's the first of her class."

"Truly excellent. A Ravenclaw?"

"No", the boy raised his chin. "She's a Gryffindor like me."

Salazar nodded, thoughtful. "Yes. It takes courage to be the best, sometimes." He looked at the child. "Thank you for not killing Sly."

"Sly- did you name the basilisk Sly?". The boy seemed conflicted between laughing and looking exasperated. "Now I understand why she'd want to kill people- I mean-"

"No offense taken", Salazar said amused.

"Why'd you put a giant snake in a school, though?"

"Think of what she could do if a crowd tried to break in."

"Oh."

"Yes. A last stand for them, surely." Slytherin looked at the carved serpent. "Would you like to go visit her with me? She's a little single-minded, but serpents usually are."

"Reminds me of something", the boy mumbled. Salazar covered his own mouth with a hand, smiling. "But yeah, sure. Why not."

"Truly a Gryffindor. Could I call you Harry?"

Potter looked at him. Those green eyes looked unnervingly like the death curse, Slytherin realized, but that meant nothing. It looked closer to his own House's colors. The kid shrugged. 

"Sure."

 

Godric was out in the grounds scowling at the Forbidden Forest when he felt the presence of someone behind him.

"It would perhaps be wiser not to try to sneak up on me, child", he said, his gaze still on the dark trees.

"It's Harry"

The kid- Harry stepped up to stand beside him, a slightly curious expression in his face. His body expression seemed a little more reserved with him than it had been with the others, Godric noticed, but it was to be expected. Children in his situation often would be suspicious of a big man with a sword. Even if the kid was in his House.

(Godric let himself feel some pride for that. His House must be better than he had feared, then, if someone able to stand to a basilisk was in there.)

"What are you doing?", Harry asked.

"I'm trying to analyse the damage done. It wasn't supposed to be the- how do you call it now?- Forbidden Forest."

"Wasn't it?"

"Well, not that much. A few monsters were ro be expected, as a defense against anyone trying to invade, but only closer to the boulder."

"I once served detention there", Harry said casually. "Because I was caught out of bed after I smuggled a baby dragon out of the school in the middle of the night."

Godric stared at him. Now that they were talking about it, he could kind of remember something like that. The man threw his head back and laughed. 

"I'm really glad you're in my House, Harry", he grinned. Then his smile fell. "But- you mean your teachers made you go into the Forest for what they thought was just break of curfew?"

"Yeah."

"May I ask who was it?"

"Filch. He's not a teacher, actually. He hates the students. Says that he'd like to hang us by our ankles all the time. And he hated me because he thought I tried to kill his cat."

"He-"

Godric silenced. Helga would be very, very interested to know that, but he could solve this alone. A student, forced to go into the awfully kept mess that was the Forbidden Forest... Gryffindor approved of courage, but the boy hadn't really had a choice. It's one thing to do something dangerous behind your teacher's back and another thing having a figure of authority making you do something possibly lethal. He crouched on front of Harry and smiled up at him.

"Thank you for telling me", he said. "I will make sure nothing like that will happen again."

"It wasn't that bad... I mean..."

"It was bad and you didn't deserve it", Gryffindor said firmly. "So, thank you. I will do my very best to fix whatever it was that let someone do that to you. And, Harry?"

"Yes?"

He winked. "Next time you're smuggling a dragon, please call me. I'd be pleased to help."


End file.
